If I had the choice between a PC and an NC at the same price, I'd take the NC. It should be smaller and consume less power (so run cooler), and hence should be more reliable; it also should be more secure and easier to administer. Theft or failure of an NC doesn't result in data loss, but how many people regularly back up their PC's? Of course, I'm assuming that the NC would perform whatever tasks I needed to do (i.e. software and any needed accessories, like modems, must be available), that the flexibility/expandability of the PC would not outweigh the benefits of of the NC (but note that the "flexibility/expandability" of PC's, and especially those competing at NC price levels, is questionable anyway -- how many businesses are modifying their 486's to meet current needs rather than buying whole new machines?), and that hidden costs are accounted for (e.g. the possible need for more robust servers and networks in the case of the NC, and the extra work needed to install, secure, and maintain PC's along with probable increased downtime due to higher complexity of PC's over NC's).
JMHO, of course. |
